Farah Chalisa

Farah Chalisa is a human rights attorney who recently cofounded INSAF Project, a legal organization through which she currently represents Palestinian and Lebanese American families in evacuation efforts and takes on impact litigation to strengthen the rights of marginalized communities. Farah has long advocated for female empowerment and fought against gender-based discrimination and violence in the Pakistani community.

In 2023, Farah received the Illinois Treasurer's Achievement Award for her volunteer work with a nonprofit, Empowering Women, to assist survivors of domestic violence within the Pakistani community. She also serves as a board member of Human Development Foundation (HDF) Chicago Network and advocates for diabetes prevention in the Pakistani community through Kisat Diabetes Organization.

Farah received her JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, along with a Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award and graduate certificates in International Studies and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies. As a Global Women’s Leadership Project Fellow, Farah focused on women's rights and political participation in Pakistan. Within this role, she gave a speech to leadership at UN Women on centering local movements in efforts to eliminate female reproductive violence in Pakistan and the overall SWANA region, and was included in several publications, including a report on the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda presented to Under Secretary General Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women.